


Just for One Day

by eris223



Series: Nothing Could Fall [2]
Category: Elyza Lex (Fanverse), Fear the Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Zombies, lexark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:34:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22867189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eris223/pseuds/eris223
Summary: Life in the Diamond is good - at least as good as it can be in the middle of a zombie apocalypse - and Alicia Clark is thriving. She has a girlfriend she loves, a mother who protects her, a niece or nephew on the way, not to mention a badass new knife she wields with skill.But not everything is as idyllic as it seems. A new threat looms over their little community, stealing and killing, and Alicia has to decide what is worth fighting for and what she’s willing to compromise.It only takes one day for her world to change forever…
Relationships: Alicia Clark/Elyza Lex
Series: Nothing Could Fall [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1643752
Comments: 22
Kudos: 520





	1. Early Morning Breeze

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This was written as a direct sequel to Nothing Could Fall, so as with that one, I would like to remind you, fellow readers, that this is still the FTWD universe. Bad/scary things happen. I mean, it's the zombie apocalypse! Just wanted to give y’all a heads up here in case you skim over the story tags (aka, the canon-typical violence one).

— 

** _February 23rd_ **

** _7 AM_ **

— 

“Drop it!”

Alicia rolled her eyes towards the soft sky. The sun had just risen above the horizon casting the clouds in a brilliant dance of muted oranges and blues, and the early morning breeze tousled the trees in the distance. She sighed at the beautiful sight and lowered her golok to her side.

“All the way now.”

The harsh metal ground into the back of her skull, pulling an exasperated huff from her chest. Alicia considered what her odds were of escaping this unfortunate situation without bloodshed. No real threat had been made yet, and she still didn’t know what exactly this stranger wanted.

She’d been in this kind of situation before. Several times in the past six months, in fact. An unfortunate side effect of trying to recruit people to come live at the Diamond. Not that this man was going to get an invitation. He lost that privilege with the way he jammed the nuzzle into her skull. A person could be confident without poking a bruise in the back of her head. 

People these days were distrusting of others. Alicia understood that. She didn’t blame them in the slightest. 

But all that self-realization didn’t make the situation any less irritating.

The metallic click of a hammer snapping into place echoed in Alicia’s ears, and she dropped her weapon to the ground, the blade landing in the hard grass with a pitiful clang.

“Where the hell is Elyza?” Alicia muttered to herself as a rough hand pulled at her shoulder. She spun on her heel and came face to face with a gruff, middle-aged man wearing a very familiar vest. The faded white, winged skull patch shone like a beacon in her trained eyes.

At least he wasn’t wearing a bandana and hat.

“What was that, girlie?”

Alicia glared into his dark brown eyes, not bothering to say a word as he patted her down, searching for any other weapons. He found her balisong tucked in her boot and tossed it into the grass. The punyal was next to go, and she scowled at him as he examined her newly treasured blade.

“Big knife for such a little girl,” he jeered, and Alicia bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from saying something stupid. 

The gun that was pressed to the back of her head now pointed directly between her eyes. Alicia could do nothing but stare down the barrel as this oaf attempted to twirl her punyal as if it was a sword. 

But the handle was off-centered from the blade, which made a convenient natural guard but also made it odd to wield if someone wasn’t used to it, and the man lost his grip. The knife slipped from his fingers, and without moving anything but her arm, Alicia caught it perfectly by the handle.

Before her captor could do something regrettable, like shoot her, Alicia flipped the punyal in her hand and offered it to the furious man in front of her.

He yanked it away, tossing it to the ground with a roar.

“Hands behind your head!” His already red cheeks pinked further, and he clenched his teeth harder, pressing the handgun straight to her forehead.

Alicia complied, her fingers resting on the top of her braid, her hair finally long enough to pull it into this intricate design. A style that Elyza had been all too eager to teach her. Alicia almost chuckled to herself, thinking of how proud her post-apocalyptic girlfriend would be to hear that her idea actually was practical.

“What do you want with me?” Alicia sighed, buying herself a few precious seconds. She dug her fingers into her hair, smirking in relief as they collided with the body-heat warmed metal. 

The man grunted and glanced down at the backpack Alicia had been filling just minutes ago. His stomach grumbled loudly, and he wet his chapped lips with his tongue. She nodded her head in understanding.

“There’s a little bit of food in there. A pack of dried fruit and a bottle of water. Take it.”

He glared at her, unsure if she was telling the truth, but Alicia was sincere. There were too many horrible things going on not to be a little kind to the few living left. 

But Alicia was also wary of strangers, and while she meant what she said, she too did not blindly trust people to be good. 

It took a little bit of careful maneuvering, but Alicia managed to pull the small two-inch blade from its sheath. She kept her fingers as still as possible, hiding her weapon behind her head.

The man glanced down at the bag once more before looking back into her eyes. And that’s when Alicia saw it. He was going to kill her.

With an uncomfortable drop in her stomach at the cruelty of what’s left of humanity, Alicia sliced her tiny blade through the air, cutting a deep gash into the hand holding the gun. The pistol fell to the ground as her captor grasped his bleeding hand to his chest.

“You bitch!” 

He lunged at Alicia, but she was already on the balls of her feet, ready to dodge the clumsy attack. But it turned out, her readiness wasn’t even necessary.

The unmistakable sound of a forend sliding back and forth on a pump-action shotgun stilled the man.

“I’d expect you to know the difference between bitch and beauty. But then again, you’d probably still find yourself in this very situation if you cracked on her. I’m right possessive, you see. Not the greatest trait, I know, but I am who I am. Sucks for you.”

He raised his hands in the air, glaring at Alicia as if she was the one at fault here. The blood from his wound dripped down his arm, staining his dirty sleeve a weary red. 

“That’s it, big fella. Keep them up.”

Elyza kept the barrel of her precious shotgun aimed at his chest as she circled around the front of him. “You okay, love?” she whispered without taking her eyes off the still seething man.

“I’m fine. Check out his vest.”

Elyza’s eyes flicked down a fraction. Her posture stiffened, and her grip around her shotgun tightened at the sight of the winged skull patch on his breast pocket.

“Oy, mate. Your leathers. Let me see-”

“Nice vest.”

Alicia barely had time to glance at her mother before a deafening BANG erupted in the air. A blood-red mist cloud evaporated as the man dropped to the ground, dead.

** —  **

** _Eight Hours Ago_ **

** —  **

Alicia sat on the corner of the bed, her bare foot bouncing on the chilled tiled floor as she flipped and twirled her balisong open and closed in a mindless pattern. The curtains were drawn tight, but a sliver of moonlight peered in through a slim crack. It was just enough to catch on the sleek blade, casting dancing reflections on the cream-colored walls.

The soft clinking of metal drowned out the rustle of the bedsheets behind her, and Alicia startled as warm, strong arms wrapped around her middle.

“Easy there, love,” Elyza pressed a quick kiss to Alicia’s shoulder and sat back, allowing her the space to calm her now racing heart. “Bit on edge tonight, yeah?”

Alicia snapped her blade shut and tossed it aside, cursing as it disappeared into the fluffy void of blankets on their bed. She sighed at the thought of having to find it later, but she pushed that mildly annoying idea to the side and curled up into waiting arms.

“Bad dreams?”

Alicia didn’t say anything. She just nuzzled deeper into Elyza’s chest. The steady cadence of her heartbeat thudded in Alicia’s ears, providing her a calm song to breathe to. 

“That bad, huh?”

“No worse than usual.”

Elyza hummed in response as she ran her fingernails up and down Alicia’s back, and the goosebumps that sprung in their wake danced and tingled along Alicia’s spine. They stayed like that for a while, both content enough in their shared silence.

Until Elyza read her mind. A talent she’d only grown better at over six months.

“Vaqueros?”

Alicia untangled herself from comforting arms and ran her hands over her face, pausing to rub the headache away from her temples.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Alicia shook her head. “They stole. Then they killed. Which I guess isn’t that strange.”

She paused after that statement. The bile in her throat a sour mix of disgust and despair that the state of the world made killing a common occurrence. She swallowed down her depressing thoughts and pushed on.

“But it just seems like they’ve taken a step back now. Back to minor thievery. No violence at all. And it’s not even like we’ve forced them to repent their ways. Nothing else has changed. Why go back after escalating? It just doesn’t make sense.”

Alicia spared a glance up from her thought ramble. Elyza sat, back straight, shoulders tense. Alicia followed the hard, visible swallow of her throat, but her attention was pulled back to Elyza’s face by a hand delicately tracing her lips. 

Elyza caught Alicia’s gaze and pinked at her own nervous tick. She dropped her hand to her side quicker than a bullet out of a gun and faced Alicia with determined eyes.

“Don’t,” Alicia huffed out an exasperated laugh. “I don’t want to hear it tonight.”

Elyza ignored Alicia’s substantial eye roll and crossed her arms. “You brought it up.”

“I didn’t bring it up! I’m worried about a gang of cowboy wannabes stealing our supplies and killing our people. I’m not worried about some stupid conspiracy theory you’ve drummed up in your head.”

The slow pull of oxygen through Elyza’s nose cut through the silent room like a knife through butter. With an unusually even tone, Elyza stated, “It’s not just me, love. I’m not the only person in the Diamond here who thinks that the Vaqueros aren’t what they seem to be. Joey-”

“Joey’s dead! Murdered. By the Vaqueros.”

“So we’ve been made to believe.”

“Elyza,” Alicia groaned, absolutely exhausted that she had to go over the facts. Again. “There were witnesses. Three people. Three people saw the Vaqueros chase her down and pull the trigger that day. Right outside of our walls. Is the entire watch duty lying? Did they all just make that up? How deep do you think a conspiracy can go in a settlement of eighty-seven people, huh? This isn’t some massive government coverup.”

“You said it yourself. The Vaqueros’ behavior doesn’t make sense. Something is going on here. Maybe not a conspiracy,” Elyza rolled her shoulders as if admitting that physically hurt her. “But something. They’re up to something. And I think someone in here knows.”

A deafening silence swept through their room. 

Alicia chewed on her bottom lip to keep her mouth shut. She didn’t want the argument to get any more heated than it already was. It was pointless. It wasn’t like this was the first time they’d argued about it. This was their version of “hey, the weather is nice outside today.” Their default discussion when nothing else was being said.

So here they sat, Elyza as stubborn as ever, and Alicia nowhere near a pushover. They were locked in a fierce stalemate with no clear winner and evidence to back both stories. Again.

Wanting to just end the unnecessary bickering, Alicia slumped her shoulders and released a dejected sigh. “I’m tired.”

“It’s late.”

“We have a dawn run in the morning.”

“With your mother.”

“We both need our strength for that.”

Elyza chuckled, her eyes warm and brilliant. Alicia didn’t even have time to gasp in surprise before powerful arms pinned her to the soft mattress. A familiar weight settled on top of her, and Alicia let the anger of the past few minutes get swallowed up by an urgent kiss. 

It probably wasn’t the healthiest way to end an argument, with neither side getting closure, but Alicia couldn’t really bring herself to care. Not when wandering hands finally found solace in the warmth between her thighs.

It was quick and demanding. All teeth and tongues and raw touches. Exactly the type of sex that allowed her to forget about, well pretty much everything except for the woman on top of her.

After her breath hitched and her back arched into the soft skin above her, Alicia wrapped her arms around Elyza and pulled her close. Elyza buried her face in the cook of Alicia’s neck, tickling her with each stuttered exhale. Their bodies were pressed tight, their heartbeats pounding and slowing as one. 

It was a rare minute when she felt normal and whole and sated. No dead family members. No crazy cowboy gang threatening her home. No corpses ambling around ready to eat her alive. Just a young woman holding her girlfriend in the stillness of the night, and Alicia clung to it as long as possible.

But moments were fleeting by definition, and this one ended with a jumble of words lost in the tangle of her hair splayed on the pillow.

Alicia snickered and squeezed the body still draped on top of her. “What was that?”

Elyza rolled out of Alicia’s hold, careful to replace the warmth of her body with the soft, well-loved blanket they’d found in a particularly un-looted discount store several months ago. She turned on her side, fingers tucking loose strands of Alicia’s ever-lengthening hair behind her ear.

Elyza’s smile was soft, understated even, but her eyes were brilliant. The minimal light of their room couldn’t diminish the radiance of them, and Alicia found herself on the verge of grinning like a fool.

“I said,” Elyza whispered, her voice a little gruff and raspy. “That you make a decent pillow. A little pointy in places,” she poked at Alicia’s hip, hitting that particularly sensitive spot just above her bone, causing Alicia to gasp and jump away.

But sure hands and a gentle smile eased her back down. “But you, love, you just might have been etched out of the vast pool of possibilities into the perfect person pillow. For me. You’re perfect to me.”

Alicia’s heart skipped a beat. “You’re just saying that. You can’t actually mean it.” 

Elyza didn’t laugh or scoff like Alicia thought she would. She tucked the last errant strand of hair behind her ear and allowed her fingers to gently trace the delicate curve of her ear to the sharp slope of her jaw. Her hand cupped Alicia’s face.

“Alicia, jag älskar dig. You know that.”

“I know,” Alicia half-smiled. “I just… it’s been a rough six months.”

“The nature of the world now.”

Alicia fluttered her eyes shut, and with the distraction of nimble fingers and unyielding lips long gone, the weight of the world came crashing back down on Alicia’s shoulders.

She sighed, and when she opened her eyes, Elyza’s hand was gone, and her brilliant blue eyes were dark and harder. Great minds, and all that. 

“Look, love-” Elyza rolled on her back, more at ease to tell the ceiling the hard truths than Alicia’s eyes. “I’m good at reading people, yeah? And these Vaqueros are not everything that they seem.” 

“But-”

“And you’re entitled to your opinion. It’s yours. But I’m not going to ignore what’s bloody obvious to me. I am who I am. And when it comes down to it, I’m going to stand for what I believe is true.”

“So we’re just going to stay on opposite sides of this?”

“We’re going to respect each other’s brilliantly gorgeous minds, and accept that sometimes two people can have different ideas and still be loving and caring and decent human beings. Because let’s face it, love, we’re the smartest people residing in this Diamond, and someone has got to show these blokes how proper adults handle adversity.”

Elyza awarded her that signature smirk and wink, and Alicia gave a playfully exaggerated eye roll while her heart fluttered as incessantly as it always did with the gesture.

But her smile faded as the seconds ticked by. “What if one of us is wrong?”

Elyza shrugged as best she could while lying on her side. “One of us will be. The Vaqueros will show their true colors. At some point. And we’ll handle it.”

“Is it bad that I’m practically aching to be right?”

Elyza laughed, vibrant and pure. “No. I think that makes you human.”

Alicia leaned forward and pressed a full kiss to pink lips. Elyza pulled away, slow and teasing.

“Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m right knackered. So with that beauty of a kiss, I’m going to say goodnight and probably pass out in the next ten seconds.”

Alicia nodded and allowed herself to lunge forward once more and indulge in the way her mouth fit so perfectly against Elyza’s. They broke away at the same time, curled up into their usual positions, and within a minute, Elyza’s steady breathing lulled Alicia’s eyes closed. She fell asleep with the same worries and hurt that kept her from rest earlier in the night, but it was softened.

** —  **

** _February 23rd_ **

** _7 AM_ **

** —  **

“Mom!”

Alicia whirled towards her mother, her fists clenched tight by her side. She stood in front of her mother, nostrils flaring as she tried to calm her quickening breaths. Madison ignored her daughter’s outrage and quietly bent over, checking the dead man’s pockets for anything useful.

Alicia pulled on her shoulder. “Mom! He wasn’t a threat. We had it under control.”

Madison stood, slow and assured. She turned to Alicia, her eyes dark and unwavering. “He’s a Proctor.”

“He _might_ have been a Proctor. We don’t know that for sure,” Alicia glanced down at the dead man and shook her head. “We were about to ask when you-”

“He’s wearing the vest. That’s good enough for me.”

Madison tucked the dropped handgun in her waistband, pocketed the couple dozen rounds she scavenged, and stalked towards her car. She didn’t even look over her shoulder when she commanded, “Hurry up. Breakfast will be ready in an hour.”

Alicia stared after her mother as she drove away, shocked, angered, and saddened by the utter lack of empathy. That man very well could have been a Proctor, perhaps he could have even been there the day Nick died, but he also could have been an innocent who scavenged clothing from one of the many corpses lying about. 

It wasn’t a far stretch to imagine that. Hell, she had a jacket hanging on the chair in her room that she stole from an infected a few months ago. They all did. Every single person in the Diamond had clothing looted from someone else. Just because he was wearing the Proctor logo did not immediately make him guilty.

It was why she always marked the vest after a kill, just on the inside of the collar. A single perfect “x” cut into the leather. It wasn’t foolproof by any means, plenty of Proctors could have died by other causes, but it had stopped a reckless kill more than once.

“Hey,” Elyza held her balisong and punyal out. “What happened?”

Alicia ran her hands along her face and smoothed down her braid, just giving her hands something to do as she calmed the dwindling fire in her chest. She replaced her blades before addressing her concerned girlfriend.

“He snuck up on me. Pressed the gun to my back. I think he was just hungry. Desperate. You know the type.”

Elyza nodded and took the small hidden blade from Alicia, cleaning it as Alicia finished her story. 

“I offered him the food and water in my pack, but I saw it in his eyes. The knife in the braid was a good call.”

Elyza smirked and twirled her finger in a circle. Alicia complied without question, relishing the gentle way Elyza slipped the blade back into the hidden holster. She spun her around and wrapped her arms around Alicia’s neck, playing with the little wispies that didn’t fit in her braid.

“And your mum?”

Alicia reached up and grasped the sturdy arms draped around her. Part of her wanted to remove herself from Elyza’s hold, the part of her that was still a little bitter about all their recent arguments. 

But in the end, Alicia closed her eyes and leaned into the embrace, her earlier bravado gone and dusted in the tender and protected hold Elyza offered. 

“I know I’m not innocent here,” Alicia finally relented. “I’ve killed my fair share of Proctors since-” she paused, gathering the strength to continue. “Since Nick died. But I can’t believe she still just shoots first, asks later. I thought we were all past that. Did you know she still kills like that?”

Elyza’s silence was all the confirmation Alicia needed. She shook her head, and with the sink of disgust and despair in her stomach, hot fat tears slipped down her cheeks.

That was the last thing she needed to hear at the moment. Tensions at the Diamond were already high enough, and Alicia couldn’t shake the uneasiness of the whole situation.

It was why they were out here now, at dawn. Less chance of getting jumped by Vaqueros when the sun itself was barely up. People still seemed to like to sleep in, even with the dead walking.

Speaking of the dead.

A lone corpse stumbled through the small gate separating the garden from the field beyond. Undoubtedly alerted by the gunshot her mother used to put down a potentially innocent man.

Alicia gave the arms still grasped in her hands a firm squeeze, letting Elyza know that she was okay, before pulling out of her embrace. She walked, slow and steady towards the gate, unsheathing her punyal as she went. 

Sometimes she found it alarming that there was so little thought or hesitation when it came to killing the dead. Just a habit, a performance of perfect muscle memory. The knife slid into soft, slightly rotting flesh, cutting through thin layers of the deteriorating muscles just under the jaw. Her punyal was so long the tip of the blade scraped the underside of the skull.

She ripped the knife out, quick enough to remove it without problems, but gradual enough to not spray herself with rotting blood and brain.

The body buckled and sunk to the ground with a thump and squelch. A familiar sound. With more practiced ease, Alicia kneeled down and cleaned her blade on the corpse’s tattered flannel shirt.

“He doesn’t have a mark.” 

Alicia wiped away the last bit of brownish blood and stood to stare into soft blue eyes.

“I checked, love. Before I came over here. There wasn’t an x. On the other bloke’s vest. He probably was a Proctor.”

Alicia’s stomach fluttered with that information. Her faith in her mother was momentarily restored. One less thing to worry about.

“Okay,” she nodded.

“You still look a bit off. Is the dead Proctor all you’re on about? Or are you still messed about last night?”

Alicia pressed a quick kiss to Elyza’s cheek in light of an answer and stalked towards the newer corpse. She drove the blade into his skull, a parting gift to prevent the change, and folded back the collar of his vest. With seasoned skill, Alicia marked a single “x” into the weathered leather.


	2. Friends Tell Friends

  
** _Nineteen Hours Ago  
_ ** — 

“Elyza!” Alicia whisper-shouted over her shoulder. She pressed her back against the warmed brick facade, a strange sensation with the brisk February air biting at her cheeks.

“What is it?”

Alicia pointed around the corner, and Elyza leaned over her, pressing her entire body against Alicia to see. Alicia steadied her awkward lean with her hands around Elyza’s waist, and she couldn’t help but glance down and admire the lithe figure in her hold.

“Head out of the green, love.” Elyza shifted back, sly smirk fading but eyes still twinkling. “Group of six, yeah?”

“That’s what I counted,” Alicia nodded, her finger already unsnapping the latch on her golok sheath. “Ready?”

“Well, we’re not here to fuck spiders.” Elyza pulled her twin blades from behind her back, and they turned the corner, side by side, to face the tiny horde.

Alicia broke off to the right, and Elyza the left, both sinking their blades into the nearest respective corpse. The body dropped like a puppet with its strings cut, and Alicia turned to her left, just in time to jam her machete into the eye socket of another ambling dead. 

The blade slid deep through the skull, half of the knife sticking out the other side. She pulled on the handle, but the golok wedged tight between the bone. Another corpse turned towards her, alerted by the grunts and groans as she attempted to work her blade free.

Within seconds, it was close. Too close. The snapping of its teeth rattled in Alicia’s ears. She gave up on the golok, letting the dead hit the cement, taking her machete with it. She took a step back, pulling her punyal from her hip. With a quick thrust forward, the corpse stilled, its chin impaled on the thick eleven-inch blade. 

Blood and gore dripped down onto her hand as Alicia yanked it away. She scanned the street, smiling as her eyes fell upon Elyza wiping both her blades clean.

“All good?” Alicia called out as she retrieved and cleaned her golok.

Though she didn’t hear or see Elyza approach, the warmth of her body alerted Alicia to her presence. It was the only reason she didn’t jump when her voice was much closer than it should have been.

“Always.”

Elyza pulled Alicia up, and despite Elyza assuring her she was okay, Alicia ran her eyes up and down her body, searching for any sign of injury. “You don’t have to do that, love. I’m good.”

“I can’t help it,” Alicia shrugged. “I like you whole and bite-free.”

“I think you more than like me.”

“Maybe.”

Elyza smirked and leaned forward. Alicia shifted her weight, but before soft lips could graze her own, she stepped to the side. Elyza’s eyes flew open, and Alicia bit back her chuckle. “Come on, stud. We’ve got a job to do.”

“You’ve turned into such a tease.”

Alicia just continued to take soft, slow steps towards the crumbling storefront. They were at least an hour’s ride southeast of the Diamond this afternoon. A tiny town called Lexington. It was the kind of place that could have been cute before the world went to hell, or it could have been one of those small towns that always featured in indie horror films. All small-minded people and rundown shops. It honestly could have gone either way.

But today it was just boarded up stores and the occasional horde of ambling corpses, and Alicia pressed her face to a filthy window.

“What do you think, love?”

Alicia blocked the sun out with her hand and squinted to get a better view. “It looks okay. Let’s open it up.”

With a careful and slow hand, Elyza tried the doorknob. “Locked,” she sighed.

“Well, what did you expect?” Alicia checked the window she was staring in, but it was nailed shut from the inside.

“I dunno. A little luck, maybe?”

“Window or door?”

Elyza scanned the street behind them. The pile of corpses they just dealt with laid in a heap a couple of dozen feet away, but nothing else seemed to be around.

“Door?”

“You just don’t want to deal with glass again,” Alicia chuckled.

“It took way too long to get all those tiny bits out my arm last time.”

“Maybe you should have listened to me and not smashed it without wrapping your hand up first.”

“Like I always listen to you.”

After a sharp look and an eye roll, Alicia examined the door. “This building looks like it was built a hundred years ago.”

“Probably was.”

“Let’s hope the door wasn’t upgraded since.” She took a step back, and Elyza mirrored her. “On three. One, two, three!”

They threw their bodyweight at the door, both landing hard with their shoulders. It crunched and cracked, but the door remained shut tight.

“One more time, love. Heave!”

The door tore off its hinge as Alicia and Elyza barreled through. Alicia landed with a hard thump against the wooden floors, and the wind knocked clear out of her lungs as she broke Elyza’s fall. She gasped and coughed, trying to pull in the oxygen that was just expelled. 

Elyza rolled off of her in a flash, eyes wide with remorse. “Easy, love. Easy.”

It took a few more seconds, but soon enough, Alicia could breathe. “Window next time.” Her voice was scratchy and hoarse, but she managed a smile as Elyza nodded fervently. 

Strong arms hooked under hers, and when she was standing, Alicia finally got a good look at the auto shop. It was sparse, but plenty of usable supplies sat on shelves and in corners. It was a good find.

After she pilfered all the parts she had been told to be on the lookout for, Alicia wandered to the back bay. Elyza shuffled through various toolboxes, stashing bits here and there into her bag. “Find what you need?”

“It’s a bit picked over, but- Oh, bloody hell, yes,” Elyza waved a grease-stained red case in the air. She marched over, grinning from ear to ear, and opened the box. Proud a peacock, she displayed the contents for Alicia to see.

“Am I supposed to know what that is?”

“A cutter and riveter!”

Alicia stared at her, and Elyza’s shoulders slumped. She shook her head with a smile. “So I can replace the chain on my baby.”

“Is it broken?”

“We couldn’t have ridden it here if it were.”

“Oh, right.”

“But it pays to be prepared, love.” 

Alicia blushed with her clear lack of motorcycle knowledge, but her embarrassment was short-lived. Elyza pressed a quick kiss to her red cheek. “I should teach you all about my baby. No woman of mine is going to-”

Elyza whipped her head towards the door. Alicia followed her gaze and stilled as the sound of muffled voices echoed through the bay. Elyza pressed her finger to her lips, and Alicia nodded and followed a step behind her. 

Elyza ducked down under the main storefront window, peeking up just a bit. “Bastards are going through my saddlebags,” Elyza bit out through clenched teeth.

“Vaqueros?”

“Looks to be. Two on lookout. One stealing.”

Alicia chanced her own glance out the window. She found the two lookouts first. One on the opposite side of the road, one just a few feet from the store they were hiding in. The third, significantly smaller than the other two, crouched by the backend of Elyza’s Harley, picking through her bag. All three were dressed in dust-covered blue jeans, handkerchiefs tied around their faces, and wide-brimmed cowboy hats. 

“I didn’t think they’d be this far out.”

“Maybe they followed us,” Elyza whispered. Her face hardened, and her muscles tensed. “Or maybe they knew we’d be here.”

“Not now, Elyza. Now’s not-”

“Vamos. ¡Ándale!” One of the lookouts took a hurried step out into the street, pointing behind him. “¡Los muertos!”

Alicia unsnapped the safety latch on her drop leg holster and pulled her gun. She stood and shrugged off the hand flailing to grasp her.

“Alicia! What are you doing?”

“They’re not getting away with it this time.” Before Elyza could hop to her feet, Alicia was out the door, gun aimed at the three people standing in the street. “Hey!”

The Vaqueros jumped at her voice, and the tiny one dropped the bag in their hand. 

“You can put your gun down!” The feminine voice surprised Alicia, but not enough to get her to lower her weapon. “I’ll leave the bag. We’ll go.”

“I don’t think so. Not after all you’ve done.”

The clumsy shuffle of the dead echoed behind her, but Alicia didn’t need to see them to know that they were far enough away to ignore. At least for the next few seconds. 

“We’re just trying to survive out here. Just like you.”

Elyza chose that moment to emerge from the auto shop. She strolled, knife in hand behind Alicia, but instead of stopping at her side and backing her up, Elyza walked away. The squelch and crumple of the just killed corpses reached her ears, and Alicia refocused on the murderers in front of her.

“You’re nothing like us,” Alicia shook her head, her finger trembling over the trigger. 

If she were thinking clearly, she would have seen the woman give a slight nod to the lookout. She would have noticed him reach into his satchel and pull out an aerosol can. But she wasn’t. Her mind was red with vengeance for the dead, and these people, or at least the group they were a part of, were responsible.

With a snap of his wrist, the grenade hurled towards her, clattering on the concrete as it spewed a muddy white cloud. 

Alicia threw her arm over her mouth and slammed her eyes shut. 

“Oh, bloody hell!”

Alicia turned towards Elyza’s voice, waving her off, but Elyza was already sprinting towards her. Alicia whirled back around, squinting through the gas. The aerosol can rolled to a stop a few feet from her, and with a swift kick, she sent it flying in the opposite direction. 

Elyza grabbed her shoulders and dragged her away, the cloud clearing quickly in the open air. Through gasps and coughs, Alicia scanned the barren road, but nothing remained of the three Vaqueros except the abandoned bag and its contents tumbling onto the concrete.

Elyza’s fingers examined Alicia’s eyes as she coughed out the last bit of smoke.

“I’m fine,” Alicia’s voice was hoarse and scratchy. “I’m fine. I promise.”

“We need to flush your eyes, love.”

Alicia grabbed Elyza’s forearm, anchoring her in her place. “My eyes are fine.” She let go and retrieved the now empty canister, handing it over to Elyza’s worried hands. “Just smoke. I’m okay.”

Elyza turned the canister over, and after a moment, chucked it off to the side. “Mongrels! I thought it was tear gas. You sure you’re good?”

“Yeah,” Alicia coughed one final time into the crook of her elbow. “As I said, like fifty times, I’m fine.”

“Good,” Elyza nodded and lowered her jaw. “Because you and I need to have a chat. What the hell do you think you were doing out there? Gun drawn like some half-assed revenge-seeking cowboy! Not a good look on you, love.”

Alicia cocked her head to the side, shaking it with a fake laugh. “Right, like you haven’t come out weapons hot and killed Proctors before.”

“Proctors are not the same thing as Vaqueros.”

Alicia dragged her hands down her face. “Elyza. They killed one of us. Just like the Proctors. We have to protect our own.”

“That’s not- You know what, love? I don’t want to do this right now. I’m sorry for jumping on you. I was just worried.” Elyza opened her arms, a clear peace offering, and Alicia accepted without hesitation.

“I’m sorry too. I got caught up in the heat of the moment,” she sighed long and deep. “The Vaqueros remind me so much of what happened before. The dam, the nursery… It’s an emotional response.”

Elyza ran her fingers up and down Alicia’s back, tucking her head in the crook of her neck. “I get it,” she whispered, sending goosebumps cascading down Alicia’s skin. “But just try and hold back on the heroics, yeah? I kinda like you whole and breathing.”

Alicia smiled into Elyza’s shoulder. “I think you more than like me.”

“That I do, love.” Elyza pulled away and nodded towards her bike. “We best get a move on, though. I’m sure your mum is going to want to hear our takes on what happened out here.”

Alicia ignored the implication that she and Elyza would have very different accounts of the past few minutes and followed Elyza to her Harley. They silently packed up the dropped supplies and the found ones, and within a few minutes, were speeding off towards the Diamond with the brisk winter air whipping at their cheeks.

—  
**_February 23_ _ rd_**

 ** _8 AM  
_ ** — 

“Good morning, sports fans!” the PA system cracked and cackled, filling their once silent room with an overly enthusiastic Texas accent.

Alicia groaned as she unbuckled the belt containing her golok and punyal sheaths. “I swear,” she called out over the dull thud of her weapon belt hitting the wall as she hung it on its proper hook. “I curse the day you figured out how to rig that damn system to only work in the suites.”

Elyza shrugged and smirked, but her retort was drowned out by the morning announcements.

“It’s 8 AM, and it looks to be another sunny day here in Round Rock, Texas! The thermometer is reading right at 56 degrees Fahrenheit, which for all y’all Texans like me, is freezing, but for all y’all else is pleasant if not a little blustery. So toss on that jacket before heading out for your duties this morning.”

Alicia slumped into the chair in the corner, letting her head rest against the wall. She closed her eyes and just waited for the daily news to be over and done with.

“I’d like to take this moment to bid a welcome back to our dawn scavenging parties, you brave souls. All four groups have been accounted for, with no incidents or Vaquero sightings.”

Alicia chuckled to herself as the PA continued to crackle on about farming duties. Her mother was keeping the Proctor a secret. It really shouldn’t have surprised her. Madison was nothing if not cavalier about killing those that she thought needed killing.

And she was usually right.

While Alicia still didn’t necessarily agree with the way her mother controlled everything, she couldn’t deny the effectiveness of her leadership. The Diamond was thriving. And despite the death of Joey, they hadn’t lost a soul since clearing out the place.

“Anyway, sports fans, this is Tucker. Ten-four, over and out.”

The speaker in the ceiling popped as it shut off, and Alicia finally opened her eyes. Elyza was in a similar state of laziness, star-fished out on their bed, her feet dangling off the edge to not dirty up the sheets.

“Remind me to not give in to my delectable woman past midnight the next time we’re assigned the dawn run,” Elyza grumbled, her eyes still closed.

“Your delectable woman?” 

Elyza hummed and propped herself up on her elbows with a wicked grin. “You know what you are, love.”

Alicia was forever grateful for Elyza’s ability to make her smile. Even after the rough morning, this strong, stubborn, charming, beautiful, moron could say a simple sentence and brighten her day.

“We better get to the porch,” Alicia smirked. “Breakfast will be out.”

*******

“Alicia! Saved you a seat.”

Alicia just climbed the last stair when she caught sight of her friend sitting at a picnic table in the back corner of the porch. She smiled and waved before following Elyza to the food line. 

It was an oatmeal morning. 

The grayish mush plopped into her bowl with a wet slap, but Alicia couldn’t complain. They had enough food to feed everyone. That was not something to scoff at.

She collected her spoon and cup of tea and made her way to the back table with Elyza at her side.

“What’s up, Alyza?”

“No matter how hard you try, that will not catch on,” Alicia shook her head as she slid in next to the young woman, careful not to spill her tea. “And it still just sounds like you’re calling the both of us ‘Elyza.’”

“Nope. It’s ‘ah-lyza’ not ‘eh-lyza.’ See? There’s a difference,” Trace clicked her tongue with a wink and finger gun.

Elyza scoffed as she sat across from them, but the little twinkle in her eye couldn’t fool Alicia. She loved the fact that Trace gave them a couple nickname. 

“If you’re so determined to give us a nickname, I still think you can come up with a better one,” Alicia teased before swallowing down a big bite of bland oatmeal. Best to just eat quickly and not long for more flavorful combinations.

“What? Like Lexark?” she pointed her spoon at Alicia like it was a weapon. “That just sounds like a tech company. Or maybe a dictionary. Horrible name. Alyza is much better.”

“I’m with Alicia on this one,” Elyza winked from across the table. “Hold yourself to higher standards, 3.0. If you don’t believe in yourself, who will?”

“Like yours are so much better. At least people understand mine,” Trace swung her spoon towards Elyza, and a glob of oatmeal soared across the table. Elyza had the excellent sense to dodge the flying food, but Trace didn’t stop her rant. “3.0 doesn’t make any sense. No one but you speaks Aussie, so that little nickname just flies right over everyone’s head.”

Alicia bit back a chuckle and had to hold her hands up in surrender when a very menacing glance shot her way.

“You know what it means?” Trace clasped her hand over her heart. “You’ve known this whole time, and you’ve never told me?”

Alicia waved her hands in front of her and shook her head. “I’m not even going to go there.”

“I thought we were friends!” Trace gasped. “Friends tell friends.”

“It just means that Elyza is overly protective. And jealous. For no reason.”

Alicia clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle the surprised exclaim as a boot collided with her shin. Elyza raised a quick eyebrow, daring Alicia to say more. But Trace was nothing if not a good friend who had her back, and she cleared her throat, ready with a topic change. “There was a reason I saved y’all a seat.”

“Your desire to share an intellectually stimulating meal with the two most popular people in the Diamond?”

Alicia was surprised Elyza didn’t tumble backwards with the gigantic sigh both she and Trace released at her joke.

“If I wanted that, I’d be sitting with Strand and Tucker.”

Alicia glanced to her left. Strand sat at a nearby table, utterly surrounded by children. He was nodding tightly as the kids all spoke, their hands waving, clearly in the middle of a thrilling story. To most, Strand was engaged, invested in each child’s contribution, but Alicia giggled at his suppressed discomfort. He caught her staring.

“Little Clark!” Strand stood, quick as a flash, startling more than one of the children into silence. He smiled. “Forgive me, tiny ones. Tucker. My attention is required elsewhere. Apologies.”

He nodded a small goodbye, hiding his grin as the children descended on Tucker the moment he finished speaking. He grabbed his bowl and mug up in a graceful sweep and settled next to Elyza.

“A child’s mind is a deep cavern of unknown possibilities,” he pulled in a deep, slow breath through his nose. “A cavern I am not inclined to explore.”

“Aww, but they love you,” Trace teased.

“An unfortunate fact, indeed,” Strand took a long sip from his coffee. “Tell me, Almost Dr. Brannon, how is your parturient patient this morning?”

“I _am_ a doctor. No almost about it. Just didn’t finish my residency before… Well, you know. Anyway, she’s progressing swimmingly,” Trace smiled. “I was actually about to share her update with these two before you needed rescuing.”

“Gratitude for the excuse to extricate myself. It won’t be forgotten.” Strand raised his mug in a grateful cheers, and Alicia clinked her cup with his before taking a sip. The tea warmed her chest as a quick gust of cool February air rushed through the porch.

“So,” Elyza leaned across the table and nodded towards Trace. “Luci. Tell us about Luci. Is today the day?”

Trace ran her hand along her mouth as if she was contemplating the meaning of life itself. “I think that the person who chose February 23 rd in that not-so-secret pool you and Tucker created despite Madison’s direct order not to, is about to win a nice chunk of whatever it is you’re betting.”

Elyza clenched her fist in a silent victory and wiggled her eyebrows at Strand.

“Our Luciana is a pertinacious one. Gloat not, thou fair Elyza,” Strand cooed around his cup of coffee.

“Thee dear maid,” Elyza gasped with a hand over her heart. “Ha’e I offended?”

Strand smiled, full and real. A rare sight that stunned Alicia into awe. He set his mug down and proclaimed, “Turn again, thou fair Elyza! If to love thy heart denies-”

“For pity, hide the cruel sentence under friendship’s kind disguise!”

Trace leaned close to Alicia, her eyes never leaving the dramatic display of old Scottish prose in front of them. “Do you have any idea what they’re talking about?”

“English major,” Alicia shrugged after pointing at Elyza.

“Fair enough, but what’s Strand’s excuse?”

“He’s Victor Strand. Nothing he does surprises me anymore.”

Trace grabbed Alicia’s arm as she threw her head back and laughed. Her melodic glee was contagious, and soon, Alicia was grinning and giggling along with her.

“Alicia.”

Alicia’s chuckles caught in her throat, and she stood as her mother approached her. “Hey, Mom.”

“Good morning, Madison,” Trace swung her legs around the picnic bench, standing at an impressive speed and offered her hand. Madison took it with a kind smile.

“Morning, Tracey. How’s Luciana doing?”

“Really well. She’s just at 3 cm dilated with contractions lasting an average of 33 seconds with 16 minutes in between. Her water hasn’t broken, but that’s normal. If she continues to progress the way I hope, she’ll be in active labor by late morning. Molina is with her now.”

“That’s good,” Madison nodded, and Alicia felt the tension leave Trace’s shoulders. “That’s really good. How is she comfort-wise?”

With Madison’s approval evident, Trace relaxed into her role with ease, detailing all the ways she’d suggested Luciana cope with the pain of childbirth. Alicia barely paid attention. She was going to become an aunt today. A little baby was about to be brought into the world. Nick’s baby.

“Alicia.”

Madison snuck a finger under Alicia’s chin, bringing their gaze even. “Alicia, baby. You okay?”

“Yeah,” she cleared her throat. “I’m fine. Just thinking about Luciana.”

Her mother ducked her head, scrutinizing her words for a moment. “Come with me if you’re done eating. I want to talk to you about something.”

With a dismissive wave to her breakfast mates, Alicia trudged behind Madison. They cut through the porch as quickly as possible despite being stopped every few seconds by a passing Diamond member. 

All wanted a few words with their fearless leader, whether it was a simple greeting or a concern or just a few sentences of gratitude for everything Madison had done for them. It was like walking in a celebrity’s shadow.

Alicia kept her face as pleasant as possible. She knew the image her mother portrayed was important. Peace within the Diamond counted on it, so Alicia did her part.

After what felt like hours, Madison finally pushed the door to her suite open, and Alicia entered with a sigh of relief. She headed straight to the massive window on the far side. It took up an entire wall and gave a solid vantage point to nearly everything going on in the Diamond. 

All the converted luxury suites had this feature, but Madison’s was dead center and the second highest. It was almost perfect. The only one with a better view was the suite Alicia and Elyza called home.

Alicia pulled the curtain back and gazed at the slowly bustling community they’d built. From her perch, she could see Tucker, in his easily recognizable burnt orange ball cap leading a group of people towards the middle of the outfield. The grass there was long dead, but the new layer of soil they’d brought in provided the perfect conditions for growing some essentials. 

“Tucker was very appreciative of the sunflower seeds you found this morning.”

“I bet,” Alicia nodded, not taking her eyes off the busying world below. “He hasn’t stopped talking about how beneficial they would be since we planted the three sisters.”

Madison stood beside her, and Alicia spared only a glance at her mother before her eyes caught a flash of blonde hair in the distance. Elyza led a group of children, seven strong, to the far corner of the outfield, just under the foul ball pole, where a painted wooden target had been assembled. Knife throwing practice for the little ones. What a world to live in.

“I’m proud of you, you know.”

Alicia let the curtain drop from her tense fingers. She turned when a warm hand wrapped around her own. Madison tugged softly, just enough to pull Alicia’s gaze to hers. “You’ve grown so much over this past year. I know that I haven’t always been there for you-”

“Mom, don’t. You don’t have to-”

“Yes, I do. Alicia, baby,” Madison pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her touch gentle and maternal, and Alicia bit her lip with cautious hope that her mother really did see her.

“It wasn’t fair to assume that you were always okay. The strong one. I knew you could handle it. You can handle anything. But that doesn’t mean I should have let you.”

Alicia pulled Madison’s hand away from her face, her fingers too soft, too tender, too much. “What is this about?”

Madison dropped her hand and smiled, tilting her chin high with pride. “I want you to take over for me.”

Alicia blinked in confusion and clenched her fists at her side. What? Was she hurt? Sick? Bitten? What was her mother thinking? Was she leaving?

“I’m not going anywhere,” Madison shook her head, reading Alicia’s mind. “But if anything were to happen to me, I want you-”

“Mom-” Alicia choked out, her voice scratchy. 

But Madison ignored her plea and continued. “This world isn’t a forgiving one. Not anymore. And what we’ve done here,” she leaned forward, just an inch and stared directly into Alicia’s eyes. “It’s more than just us. And I need to know that it’s in good hands.”

Alicia dug her fingernails into the fleshy part of her palm. She’d curse the half-moon shaped indents later. Right now, she was too shocked to feel any of the pain. The room started to spin as Alicia processed exactly what Madison was offering her. 

Recognition. Leadership. Respect. Faith.

Everything she’d always wanted from her mother. 

“Alicia?”

Alicia cleared her throat and paced the room. She shook her hands out, letting the blood recirculate to the tips of her fingers. “Why? There are so many older, more experienced people here. Why me?”

Madison sighed and lowered herself down to the oversized chair in the corner. She crossed her legs and leaned back, radiating more ease and confidence than Alicia ever felt in her entire life. “Because you’re my daughter. And this is my legacy.”

Alicia choked back the scoff, closing her eyes to put that melodramatic notion as far down as possible. “Why are you telling me this now?”

Madison sat forward, her hands resting on her knees. “I need you to shadow me. You need to know what goes on, what I do, how to keep this Diamond running. As of today, you’re officially second in command.”

Her mother smirked with a slight tilt of her head and checked her watch. With a casual wave of her hand, she escorted Alicia out of her room. “I have a meeting with Billy. Should only take half an hour. Meet me in the press box at nine, and we’ll get started.”

Alicia didn’t even have time to process or debate her mother’s demands before Madison was strolling in the opposite direction, leaving her standing, dumbstruck in the hallway.

Alicia’s feet moved on their own accord, and within minutes, her hand grasped the green-painted gate. The rough ballfield dirt crunched under her boots as she strode towards left field.

Elyza whispered a few words of encouragement to the child in the front of the line, adjusted her grip a fraction, and stood behind her. The knife flew from Katie’s fingers and bounced cleanly off the wooden target with a harsh clang. The girl’s head hung in defeat, and Elyza squeezed her shoulder. “It took me ages to get it to stick. Don’t be discouraged.”

“Yeah, right, Elyza,” Katie scoffed with an impressive roll of her eyes.

“It’s true. Ask Alicia. She was there when I first learned how to do it.” Elyza turned her head and met Alicia’s eyes. It was uncanny how she knew she was there, but Alicia was grateful for their weird connection.

“I caught her practicing when she should have been resting.” Alicia silently requested the knife from the gangly boy next in line. Julius handed it over without hesitation, and Alicia smiled down at him. “She’d just been shot-”

“And stabbed!” Elyza boasted, and Alicia rolled her eyes at her infuriating woman.

“And she needed to heal. But she was determined. She made this target inside the library we were staying in.”

“You were living in a library?” Katie marveled.

“Vastly underrated libraries are,” Elyza smirked and winked, and Alicia struggled to keep her face neutral. But she was practically a master at receiving those devilish charms, and she merely raised her eyebrow in response.

“She practiced for a long time until she was really good at it. So good-” Alicia flipped the blade over in her hand. She lined up her throw and let the knife fly. It spun once in the air and THWUP. The knife stuck out of the wood, perfectly parallel to the ground if not off-centered from the bullseye. “She taught me how to throw.” 

Elyza’s eyes sparkled with pride.

“You just need to practice,” Alicia smiled at the children. “You’ll get there.”

She pulled her knife from the target and handed it back to Julius. He was eager to give it a go, and Alicia and Elyza stood to the side, mindful to be far enough away to avoid the inevitable rogue blade. 

Elyza never took her eyes off the children, but in between calling out adjustments, she lowered her voice. “So, what did your mum want?”

“She wants me to take over.”

Elyza stiffened, and the groan of her leather jacket cut through Alicia’s ears like nails on a chalkboard. “She’s manipulating you.”

“I had the same thought.” Alicia nodded. “But she seemed genuine. In the end. I’m supposed to meet her in ten minutes to start shadowing her.”

Elyza held her hand out in the air and took a grand step forward. “All right, you ankle-biters! That’s enough for today. Good work! We’ll pick it up again tomorrow.”

The children chattered as they returned the knives to the repurposed toolbox, and Alicia prepared herself for the upcoming backlash. After the last kid slapped a high five to Elyza’s waiting palm and danced away, Alicia bit the bullet. 

“Go ahead,” Alicia crossed her arms and stared directly into Elyza’s fiery blue eyes. 

Elyza chuckled, sardonic, and biting. “It strikes me as a bit convenient, love. The mess with the Vaqueros over the past few months, your mini-tiff over the Proctor this morning… She knows she’s being questioned.”

“That may be true, but do you really think she’d put the whole Diamond at risk and leave me in charge just to fix a misunderstanding with me?”

“The Diamond wouldn’t be at risk. You’d make a bloody damn good leader. And she knows that. But her bringing you up now? It’s… iffy.”

“What could she possibly gain from this?”

Elyza found Alicia’s fingers, intertwining them with her own. Her hold was firm and sure, yet she gave an even tighter squeeze when she answered.

“Me.”


	3. Status Update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a story chapter...

Hey all!

I hope this finds you all as well as can be. I just wanted to update the few of you who have subscribed to this story. I'm struggling to dive back into this particular world right now. It all feels too weird, writing about a zombie apocalypse in the midst of this very real sort of apocalypse we have going on right now... 

I'm not abandoning this story. I'd never do that. No way. 

I have a lot finished and plotted, so when things ease up a bit, I know I'll feel that muse again. But until then, this particular fic is on hold. 

That's it, lovely people! I'm off to write some fluff and magic to keep myself sane 😅 

-eris223


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